Why do we bother bagging?

[cadandcookies]

Originally Posted by dibblec

A
I think $4000 is too much budget for a robot. That is were we see some really sophisticated robots that other teams will most likely never have a chance to build based on resources. Scale the budget back and we can help a lot of teams be more competitive because the budget is more reasonable.

Here is one of the rules I don't get. I have seen reveal videos of teams that say look what we built in the off season and they are using the drive train for this years robot. We did what we were suppose to do. Get our kit of parts, put it together and build up from there. We used last years robot to learn programming, use it for presentations and driving practice until we had to start robbing Peter to pay Paul. In the spirit of FIRST I thought the rule was for you not to build components that would be used for build season. You can argue with me about the semantics in the rules, but I am sure in "the spirit of FIRST" that was the idea behind the rule. Not to have a jump start on the drive train or other pieces before build season.

1) Have two or three drive trains that are approved and can be used, period. I have been impressed with the new one from AndyMark this year. Not that I have a lot to compare to from the ones in the past, but our team feels like it gives us a better starting point to be competitive.

2) Lower the budget on the robot, but extend the build season one week.

If you would like a more restrictive competition, they're out there. The way I see it, there may be more affordable, more restrictive, more "realistic" programs, but FRC is the high end "flagship" program. It is expensive, big, and flashy. It is not for everyone. It doesn't make sense for some areas to support FRC teams-- look at Iowa, where there are a few hundred FTC teams and (if I remember correctly) less than ten FRC teams.

If you want a cheaper, more controlled program, try FTC, VEX, or BEST. It may sound selfish, but I like the spectacle of FRC-- and so, I believe, do sponsors.